Take Me
by Mirror and Darkling
Summary: Sasuke's got a werewolf for a next door neighbor, a brother who loves to annoy him, and a snake like demon that wants his body. It's just a normal day at the garage. The fact that a certain werewolf thinks Sasuke is his mate...even better. AU. NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

Take Me

**Author's Note: **So chapter one...I hope you enjoy. Many thanks to my beta **Paramour Conspiracy**, who is awesome.

REMEMBER: This is loosely based on the Mercy Thompson series, so don't expect me to follow the plot line!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or the Mercy Thompson series. I mean...I don't even have a plushie. Dx

**Warnings: **Cursing, violence, and blahblahblah.

xxx

**Chapter One**

It took me a moment to realize that nobody else could see him. There was a man standing by the garage's office door. I had just finished working on an old Ford Falcon and was wiping my hands on a rag when I spotted him. I paused, my eyes taking in the man's appearance.

The male looked semi-young, with pale hair and green eyes. He was attractive, but the heavy bags under his eyes hinted that my guest was very tired, very sick, or very dead.

Seeing as he was a ghost, the dead bit made a lot more sense.

Normal people can't see ghosts. As such, I wasn't normal. I'm what they call a walker, which a lot of people mix up with 'skin walker'. Unlike the witches of the Southwest Indian tribes, I don't need the skin of the animal I transform into; that animal being a coyote.

I was a walker because of my mother. She was the daughter of a Native American, and my father was a regular Japanese business man. He took the news rather well, considering he walked into my nursery to find a coyote pup in my crib instead of a human baby. I don't think I'd take the news as well, so kudos to the old man.

I quickly glanced around. If Suigetsu spotted me talking to what appeared to be myself, I was certain I would never live it down. But Suigetsu was in the office, probably grumbling as he worked on the very large amount of paper work I had given him to keep him busy. I turned my attention back to the ghost. He hadn't moved an inch, only continued to stare.

I should have been a little more afraid. I'd never seen the pale male before, and ghosts don't appear to just anybody. Ghosts had routines, and they stuck to those routines like the devil sticks to his treachery. There hadn't been any news about murders recently (but I could be wrong; don't take my word for it), so I was a little surprised at its appearance. I fiddled with the rag in my hand as it spoke.

"You're the new one?"

I barely caught the whispered words before the male bowed his head and vanished. I frowned, deep in thought, just as the office door opened and my light-haired friend stepped out.

Suigetsu paused, his hand still on the doorknob. "What?" Suigetsu mumbled. "I did all the paperwork."

I shook my head. "I'm closing up early," I said. "I've got some calls to make."

Suigetsu didn't argue. Grateful for that, I changed out of my coveralls in the bathroom and escaped quickly to the parking lot. I slid into the front seat of my 1980 Mercedes Benz, already dialing the familiar number on my cell phone. Three rings later, a woman picked up.

"Sasuke," the girl on the other end chirped. I winced slightly. "It's good to hear from you again. What's up?"

I grunted before replying. "I need you to look something up for me, Sakura."

"Okay, sure. What do you need?"

"I need to know if you've taken any murder jobs."

"Murder jobs?" Sakura echoed. I could hear the 'click, click' of her fingers racing over a keyboard. "Shizune took a call from Naruto a couple of days ago. A newborn–"

I interrupted her. I wasn't interested in Naruto's affairs. "A human - has a human been murdered?"

"Hmm . . . We haven't had any trouble with humans being killed for a month." Sakura reported. "If you want, I can look into it for you."

I started the van and nodded, despite her not being able to see it. "If you would. Keep me posted."

"Alright. Bye . . . Coyote Boy."

I hung up to the sound of her laughing. It was no use telling her off for the nickname. If we were still young, and the pink-haired girl still had a crush on me, perhaps she could have stopped after I threatened her. The school-girl crush she had once had was over, however, and I no longer had that power (. . . much).

The rest of my drive home was made in silence, although I kept glancing at my phone. I couldn't get the ghost off my mind. I was the new _what _exactly? A little annoyed, I pulled into my driveway and slammed the car door harder then I should have. I patted the hood. It was a wonder it was still running. With a small sigh, I looked towards my house.

"What did I say about sitting on my front porch?"

Naruto looked up at me, a wide grin on his multiple-scarred face. He was sitting on the steps leading to my front door. He patted the space beside him, but I ignored the invitation to sit and leaned against my car, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You said to stay off your property unless I was invited." Naruto replied, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. "Sakura called and said you asked what jobs they'd done recently."

Damn pink-haired witch . . . I must have been frowning, because Naruto snickered.

He jumped up. Before I could escape, he'd slung his arm around my shoulders and pinned me to his side. I stared at him warily, unsure of his intentions. "Why were you calling Sakura for that kind of information?" he asked.

I stayed silent.

"Sasuke," he growled.

I ducked out from underneath his arm. "It's nothing of importance, Uzumaki." I smirked. I could tell Naruto was getting irritated, but he couldn't force me to answer him because I was pack. He might have been Alpha, but I wasn't werewolf, so I didn't have to listen to him. And I told him this frequently, much to his displeasure.

However, this doesn't mean I'm not affected by him. As a walker, I was subject to the laws of dominance.

So when I met Naruto's eyes, I inwardly cursed. Werewolves love to play games of dominance. The first to look away must submit to the other. I kept his gaze for a while, refusing to back down. His attention was drawn away from me when his cell-phone went off. I dropped my gaze to the ground.

Naruto glanced at the caller-ID. "I'll talk with you later, Sasuke," he said, suddenly all smiles again. I watched tensely as he turned and answered his phone. I didn't move until I saw him jump the fence separating our property. With a growl, I dug into my pocket, retrieved my cell, and called Sakura.

"I thought you might call me," she said when she picked up.

"Why?" I growled.

"He's alpha, Sasuke. I have to let him know who's digging into city affairs."

I snorted and made my way to my door. "Did you find anything?" I asked instead of pressing the subject.

I heard the shuffle of papers before she answered, "No, nothing you're looking for, I don't think. Well, your brother did call us about a week ago with something that might interest you . . ."

I paused halfway through the doorway. "What was it about?"

"A hotel downtown . . . They found three dead people inside the bathroom. Itachi said something about it . . . not feeling right. He can't explain it. You know Itachi; he tries to grasp our world, but he just can't."

"I'll give him a call," I said slowly. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of calling my older brother. The bastard's goal in life seemed to be annoying the hell out of me. "And Sakura?" I said after a moment. "Don't tell Naruto about this conversation."

I headed towards the kitchen, dropping my phone on my couch. I would call Itachi later. It'd been a long day at the garage, and I just wanted some time to myself, especially after having to deal with the loud alpha werewolf.

I sat at my kitchen table and thought over what Sakura had told me. Three people found inside a bathroom, and a strange feeling that surrounded the scene. I frowned in thought. Werewolves don't kill humans, unless they're newborns without alphas to guide them, and I didn't think the vampires had gotten sloppy after hundreds of years. Neither of them left any sort of 'presence' behind. I was a little confused, and I felt oddly satisfied when I realized that Itachi was probably even more confused than me.

I was dragged away from my thoughts when my phone went off from the other room. I stood slowly, shuffling over to the couch.

"Sakura called you, didn't she?" I deadpanned after I had answered.

There was a pause before my brother spoke. "No, little brother," he said softly. "If she needs to speak with me, however, I–"

"Never mind," I snapped, dropping into the cushions. "She mentioned the murders at the hotel."

"Ah," he mumbled. I could almost hear his smile. "Sakura told Naruto you were digging around for information."

My brother was smart. But sometimes I had to wonder how he knew things . . . But he could always sense my discomfort.

"Let's talk about the murders at the hotel," he continued, stopping me from demanding how he knew Sakura was blabbing on me to the blonde werewolf. "I was hoping you could come and see what you could find. We might be able to identify who it was if we have their scent."

"Why don't you ask mother?"

"Mother has a cold. She can't smell a thing."

A measly cold? I grunted in acceptance. "Fine, I'll go check it out."

"Good, I'll come pick you up tomorrow."

He hung up on me, and my frown deepened into a scowl.

xxx

**Author's Note: **Review? I want to know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Take Me

**Author's Note: **OKAY. Sorry it took me so freakin long to get this up. I started school, then I took a little trip to Canada, then I was an idiot and set my beta the wrong chapter. Durrrr. Once again, thanks to my fab beta: **ParamourConspiracy**

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto...well...lets just say I don't.

I don't own Mercy Thompson, either.

**Warning: **Character death. Don't you love me? Heehee.

xxx

**Chapter Two**

As it turns out, tomorrow meant bright and early the next morning.

I was pouring myself a cup of coffee when my brother called to let me know he'd be arriving soon. I wasn't happy about having to miss work, but I called Suigetsu to let him know I was going to be late. I hung up on him complaining about me leaving him alone with Karin and enjoyed my few minutes of peace and silence.

The trip to the hotel was certainly going to be . . . entertaining.

xxx

"How's work?" Itachi inquired the second I got into the car.

I didn't look at him. "Fine," I replied.

"Have you finally surrendered to Karin and gone out on a date with her?" he asked, despite the fact that he knew for a fact I hadn't.

"Hn."

"What about Naruto?"

My eyebrow twitched as I sent a glare in his direction. His face was one of innocence, but I knew he was enjoying every second of this.

"Tell me about the bodies," I growled.

His expression turned serious, and I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten. "All three of the bodies looked like they had been experimented on. According to the autopsy, they were cut open while alive. The bathroom was covered in blood. A hotel guest found them."

I stopped him with a raised hand. "A hotel guest?" I echoed. "Why wasn't the room cleaned? They didn't know somebody had used the room?"

Itachi nodded. "Exactly," he mumbled. We were stopped at a red light, so he caught my eye. "The room has already been cleaned, but we've requested that nobody be allowed to rent out the room for another month. The hotel isn't too thrilled about that, of course."

We were moving again. I stared out the window as he continued. "There is something about the room, however, that concerns me. I've shared this with Kisame and Deidara, but it only confuses them." He paused. Of course they wouldn't understand. They were human. Itachi was human too, but he had been around people like us long enough—his whole life—to simply be a part of it. "I just want you to sniff around . . . see if you smell anything that shouldn't be there."

I snorted.

We were already pulling into the hotel parking lot. I was surprised at how fast we had arrived here. This was just getting better and better.

"We're still in pack territory," I said slowly. When Sakura had said downtown, I didn't think she meant _this _side of town.

"Which is exactly why I didn't tell Sakura that when I called," Itachi said, and I noticed hint of bitterness in his voice. "This case is already confusing enough without having Naruto in the mix."

I silently agreed.

The hotel was small, despite its location in one of the busiest parts of the city. I could see why the manager was angry at having to keep one of its hotel rooms closed. There were only two floors and about forty rooms. Itachi took me to the second floor, Room 36, and let me in with the key he'd received from the front desk. He stayed outside, assuring me that all the doors were open, and left me to my business.

The room held two beds; the covers tucked under the mattress and the pillows fluffed. There was a TV tucked into the corner of the room with a couple of chairs placed conveniently in front of it.

I shed my clothes quickly, wiggling out of my boxers once I'd changed. I shook my fur out, sneezed a couple times to clear my nose, and then stuck my nose to the ground. The first thing I smelled was cleaning supplies: laundry detergent, window cleaner, but underneath all of that I could smell blood. Days old blood, but I could still smell it. I padded towards the bathroom; Itachi said the bodies had been found there, and I supposed that would be the best place to start.

The door was pulled up, but as Itachi had promised, it wasn't closed. However, the second I pushed the door open with my nose, I was backing up. My hindquarters hit the opposite wall, my fur standing up on my back.

Never before have I spelled something so horrible. My nose, even when human, is very strong. I've smelled some pretty awful stuff in my day, but the stench coming from the bathroom reeked of days-old blood, waste and death. I was certain whatever had killed these people wasn't werewolf or a vampire.

I shuffled forward slowly, muscles tense, nose to the ground. My claws went _click-clack, click-clack_ against the tile as I toured the small room. I got to work. The faster I worked, the sooner I could get out of this deadly stinking hellhole. Closing my eyes, I took a big whiff and began sorting through the scents present: bathroom cleaner, soap, and also the smell of five different people. Three of them were probably the victims, so that meant there were two others present. Possibly the murderers?

Sensing there was nothing else I could do in here, I made a hasty retreat back to my clothes in the bedroom. I repeated the process of sneezing to clear my nose and shifted back. After I had dressed, I left the room.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at me when I exited. "What did you find?"

I nearly gagged when I took a deep breath; I could still smell it. It made my skin crawl and my stomach churn. "You're right about your 'feeling'," I mumbled. "Five scents, which means there was either another victim or two murderers. They aren't human. No human can leave behind that kind of smell."

"Do you know what did?"

I shook my head.

xxx

The ride to my garage was made in silence. Occasionally I would sneeze, trying to forget that horrible stench.

Karin met me in the office after my brother dropped me off. She informed me that Juugo had gone to get lunch, and Suigetsu was working on a customer's car. I nodded and dodged as she tried to latch herself onto my arm, making my escape through the back door.

I spent the rest of the day working on an old '67 Impala, and then caught a ride home with Juugo. I thanked him quickly when he pulled up beside the curb; I could hear my phone ringing from inside my house. My caller ID said it was Naruto, but Kiba was the one on the line when I picked up.

"Sasuke, think you can come over?"

"Why?" I was hesitant to go over there when any pack member was present.

"We've got a bit of a problem." He was trying to sound calm, but I could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Is the idiot there?"

"Yes . . ."

"Why doesn't he handle it?"

"Naruto's busy."

I paused before answering. If Naruto was busy, it was the Seconds job to take care of the problem. So why was Kiba calling me?

A very loud roar answered my question, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear with a scowl. "I'll be right there," I growled into the mouth piece.

xxx

It turns out I'd left one murder scene only to arrive at another. Naruto's pack had been called, most likely by Kiba, seeing as Naruto was 286 pounds of fur and teeth at the moment. He was prowling around the living room when I was ushered in by Kiba's mate, Hinata. The shy girl nodded to me sheepishly and stepped back.

Kiba was pressed flat against the wall, watching his Alpha, who was letting out soft growls every so often. Neji, Naruto's Third, Shikamaru, Choji and his mate, Ino, were gathered around a body lying in the middle of the room. It was covered with a bed sheet. I sniffed and stiffened instantly, turning my attention back to Naruto. He'd stopped moving and was looking right at me.

Shino was dead (personally, I was surprised they hadn't started eating him. Werewolves enjoy that sort of thing, but then again . . . Shino was pack) and he smelled exactly like the hotel bathroom. It was a fresh kill, and the odor was overwhelming. It was no surprise Naruto had gone wolf; it's much easier to change when angry instead of fighting it, which could be life threatening. However, I was surprised that Naruto was losing control.

I watched as Naruto's nostrils flared as he sampled my scent. His gold eyes were staring straight at me. If possible, his growl deepened, growing even more enraged at recognizing the scent that clung to my skin. I smelled like what had killed his pack, and if I wasn't careful the idiot would do something he'd regret.

"You moron . . . calm down before you hurt somebody."

I instantly felt a wave of power crash over me. . . and regret. The others dropped to their knees instantly, trembling under their Alpha's power. I stumbled back but refused to submit. Naruto lunged at me.

His side brushed against my hand as he circled me. He came closer, pressing his head against my stomach, growling and whining. I put a hand on his muzzle, trying in vain to push him away. "Get off, you idiot!" I hissed. I stopped when I noticed Kiba's eyes on me. I met his eyes and cursed inwardly, not in the mood to play their stupid little werewolf games.

Kiba did something a wolf in his position should never have to do for a walker.

He lowered his eyes.

xxx

**Author's Note: **Updated version. All mistakes _should_ be gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Take Me

**Author's Note: **This is probably the fastest update you'll see. My late Halloween present to you. Hope you enjoy, and thank my beta **ParamourConspiracy **for dealing with my grammar and spelling.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Or the Mercy Thompson series. Thank you. xD

**Warning: **A horrible 'battle' scene. I suck. Blah,

xxx

**Chapter Three**

"Looks like you're staying the night."

I glanced up to glare at him. Kiba merely smiled weakly and disappeared outside to meet his mate. The rest of the pack had already retreated home. Shino's body was gone, having been collected by Tsunade and Sakura. Tsunade had flashed a look of pity in Naruto's direction, but the idiot only growled and pressed himself against my side, pushing me onto the sofa and draping himself over me.

A while later I shifted to find a more comfortable spot on the lumpy sofa. Naruto growled again, his chest rumbling against by body. I gave his back a hard smack. "Stop it, idiot. I'm not going anywhere."

I'd given up on trying to get him off me ages ago; Naruto didn't look like he was planning on moving anytime soon. I resigned myself to my fate.

Naruto's whine caught my attention. His eyes were blue--meaning he was back in control--and half closed. I held his gaze for a second, before I turned my head away and tried to get some sleep.

xxx

I wasn't sure how long I slept, but when I woke the room was dark, and the weight on my chest was gone. I blinked, too exhausted to get up but too hungry to stay seated. I'd skipped dinner, opting to rush over to Naruto's instead.

I sat up and stretched, working the kinks out of my neck. Next time the idiot decided he wanted me to sleep over, I was changing and getting out as fast as I possibly could. Either that or he offered me a bed to sleep on.

"You smelled like Shino."

I turned to face the owner of the voice. Naruto was human again, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

I snorted. "Thank you, Naruto. I hadn't noticed."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Sasuke," he mumbled.

I studied him for a moment. I could tell he was under a lot of stress, what with one of his pack dead and not getting any answers. I put all sarcasm aside for a moment and told him, "Itachi had me look around a murder scene. Three people were found dead in a hotel room's bathroom. That same stench is all over it."

Naruto considered this for a moment. "You think the same person who killed them killed Shino." It wasn't a question.

"_People_," I corrected. "Yes, I believe so."

"People?"

"There were two other scents not including the victims."

"Maybe it was a cop."

I raised an eyebrow. It was true that after so many people going in and out, I could have made a mistake. But I was certain there had been two inhuman scents. "They weren't human, moron."

"Bastard!" The blond pushed himself away from the wall and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just trying to cover all the bases."

I left him alone until I remembered something. "Naruto," I waited until he was looking at me. "Why did Kiba lower his eyes when I looked at him?"

Naruto froze. "It's nothing." He smiled, but I could tell it was forced.

"Naruto, I'm not pack," I growled. "Kiba is your _Second_. What did you do?"

My voice had risen, and I could feel Naruto's annoyance practically rolling off him in waves.

"Exactly," he snapped. "You're not pack." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Go get some sleep, Sasuke. It's only—"

The door slammed shut before I could hear the rest of his sentence.

xxx

The next day found me at my garage alone, working on my Impala. I'd turned off my cell and let calls on the office phone go straight to voicemail. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody. When I heard a knock from behind me, I tossed my rag and whirled around, trying to at least look approachable, despite my bad mood.

"How can I help you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

A male and a female stood at the entrance to my garage . . . An impossibly_ large_ male and an extremely pissed off female. My eyes narrowed.

"Great, mind if we stay and chat?" the female sneered, not even waiting for a response. She strutted into my garage as if she owned it.

"I'm afraid I do," I hissed. "I actually have work to do."

"No, you don't," the male said, and my eyes snapped towards him. "It's your day off. You have had no customers."

I clenched my fist and stayed silent. What a brilliant day this was turning out to be. "Leave."

"We just want to talk. Damn, no need to get pissy." The female had gotten closer and was currently picking at some peeling paint on another one of my projects. After a moment she paused and nodded towards the male. She crouched. I stiffed, growling softly. It wasn't as scary as a werewolf's, but it would do.

The girl was fast, I have to give her that. I'd grabbed a fist full of her shirt and red hair before she could lay a hand on me though. She was sailing over my shoulder when the male lunged for me. I was already shifting and racing out onto the street by the time the red head had gotten back on her feet. I was fast as a human, but even faster as a coyote. The sooner I got to Naruto, the better.

I wasn't happy about it, but Naruto could handle these two better than I could. I could tell these two weren't humans (I'd caught a whiff of the male's scent as I ducked under his legs), I just didn't know what they were. If I had to, I would fight, but not until I knew what they were capable of.

"Damn it, Jiroubou! Why do you have to be so fucking fat?" I heard the female scream. "You could have caught him!"

I chanced a glance behind me, surprised to find them so close despite my head start. I was apparently not fast enough. I turned my head back to the road in front of me. The road was hot on my paws, but I ignored the burn and kept on. Slipping into an alley, I hid behind a large bag of trash, hoping the smell would knock them off my trail.

My garage was in a much older portion of town, and people normally parked their cars in the alleyways beside their houses. There was one car parked, and I inched towards it, pressing my side against the tire. I took a moment to catch my breath and calculate how far from home I was, watching the entrance to the alley. I lived ten minutes away from my garage, but it seemed much farther away when you were being chased.

I snorted.

"—Fatso! I can't believe you let him shift."

"I wasn't the one that got flipped over a shoulder, Tayuya."

"Like anybody could fucking lift _you!_"

I sank my belly to the ground, watching as they turned the corner. The red head, Tayuya, looked furious, while the male, Jiroubou, looked faintly annoyed. I held my breath and waited, watching as they stopped a foot from my hiding spot. I tensed, but they moved deeper into the alley.

"Are you sure he's here?"

"Yes, I just can't pinpoint his location."

"Dumbass."

I leaped. It was stupid, and if Naruto had been there, he probably would have done it. I almost groaned at the idea. Jiroubou was a 200 pound man, and I was a 40 pound coyote. I landed on his back, my jaws fastened to his neck. His blood left a horrible aftertaste in my mouth.

Jiroubou flailed his arms. I dropped to the ground before I was hit, dashing underneath the car and out onto the street before Tayuya could grab me. I couldn't hear if anybody was following me.

I made it to Naruto's in record time, changing as I ran and only stumbling once. Shikamaru was on the porch when I showed, naked and legs trembling. He flicked his cigarette away from him and ground it with his heel before jerking his head towards the front door. I scowled and stomped inside. Ino met me at the door, draping a blanket over my shoulders. She dragged me toward the window seat.

"Hey, Sasuke," she smiled sweetly. She sniffed, pressing her face close to mine. Her small hand came up to wipe blood from my mouth. "Come on, Naruto will take care of it."

"I didn't come here to be protected," I snapped.

Ino shook her head. "Duck," she told me.

I ducked. With a house full of werewolves, you learn to dodge and duck when you're told to. A second later, Choji, a brownish red wolf, flew over our heads and crashed through the window and landed outside.

"Choji," Ino was yelling, picking glass out of her hair. "There is such a thing as a front door!"

I pulled the blanket off my head and shook my hair out of my eyes, glancing out of the broken window to watch Choji fall on top of the newly arrived Jiroubou. There was a roar of anger, a crack, and Jiroubou fell to the ground.

I didn't stay to watch the rest of the battle. Shikamaru had descended on Tayuya the minute she had shown up, and he hadn't even bothered on transforming. I stood from the window seat and picked my way through the broken glass, failing miserable.

"Sasuke!" Ino cried, grabbing my arm before I could get very far. "You'll cut your feet. Wait for Naruto."

I turned to growl at her, but her attention was on her mate, who was standing over a dead Jiroubou. My growl turned into a hiss of pain. I didn't need protecting, no matter what that piece of glass in my foot said.

Naruto came walking up a few minutes later, a slight frown on his face. The glass crunched underneath his boots as he approached me. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, despite my protest. I was carried (more like manhandled) upstairs and into the bathroom.

"I told them to take care of you, not hurt you in the process . . ." I heard him mutter. "Damnit, guys. . ."

"I don't need help."

Naruto paused, a goofy smile forming on his face, before completely ignoring me as he grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the faucet so he could clean my feet. He was silent. I looked at him then, while his head was tilted down so there was no chance of catching his gaze. This near to him, I could smell how near his temper was to the surface, which confused me. Nobody had gotten hurt, as far as I knew, beside me.

"Naruto," I drawled, rolling my eyes to look at the ceiling.

"Shut up, Sasuke."

"Idiot, just go check on your pack."

Naruto looked up and glared. "No, you're my responsibility," he growled. "You're mine, you bastard."

My entire body stiffened, and I ripped my foot from his grasp. Everything fell into place, and I finally understood why Kiba had lowered his eyes.

He'd _claimed_ me.

So I bashed his face in.

xxx

**Author's Note: **So yeah. Please review...they make me happy.

This is the edited version. All mistakes_ should_ be corrected.


	4. Chapter 4

Take Me

**Author's Note: **I updated faster than normal! SEE! I can do it! I wanted to get this out before finals. Wish me luck, yes?

And thank my Beta **ParamourConspiracy**.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Mercy Thompson.

**Warning: **There is a pairing in here that most of you might not enjoy! I LOVE IT. Do not diss, okay?

xxx

**Chapter Four**

When Sakura left Naruto's house for the second time in only twenty-four hours, I went with her.

After punching Naruto, I had demanded he get out of my sight, lest I cut his face off with a sliver of glass, and then proceeded to clean and bandage my feet myself.

Sakura arrived a few minutes later with her cleaning force, which included her boyfriend Sai and Naruto's old friend, Iruka. Witches were good at cleaning and covering up messes, especially those made by the supernatural. While her helpers loaded up the bodies, Sakura took care of Shikamaru's hand, despite his protests that it would heal soon enough on its own. When she caught my eye, she frowned, pausing in her work. Next thing I knew, I was in the front seat of her car, watching her kiss Sai goodbye, sulking.

There was an awkward silence during the drive, and I savored it, not in the mood to answer any questions. Though by the glances she kept throwing my way, I could tell she wasn't going to let me off the hook so easily. I had planned on making my escape once we reached her office, since it wasn't very far from my garage. Sakura can be very violent, however, and she dragged me inside, promising me she would send somebody to lock and clean up since apparently I wasn't going back any time soon.

"Do I want to know why they were after you?" Sakura questions me as she closed the door to her office.

I took a seat, rolling up the sleeves of the borrowed sweatshirt, and snorted. "They didn't mention."

Sakura gave me a hard look, which I met without fear. I had seen her as an imprudently crushing (foremost on me), determined female; that was scary. This Sakura was nothing compared to that. "Sasuke," she said slowly. "You have to be careful. Itachi called to tell us what you had discovered at the hotel. Then Shino died . . . and Naruto said you smelled just like the thing that killed him, and—"

"And those two today smelled exactly like what killed Shino." I stood, trying not to wince as my feet began to throb. "A little different, but it was still the same. _Sakura_," my voice was a little harsher than I had planned. Sakura froze, surprised. "What are they?"

She shook her head. "I'll let you know when I find out."

I pressed my lips together and frowned. I was certain that I would not be the only one Sakura would let know, not if Naruto had anything to say about it. I was still pissed that he had claimed me as his mate, but at the same time I was still a little confused on the whole subject.

I didn't know a lot about werewolf . . . mating; only that it was the wolf that chose. It takes days for the wolf to fall for somebody, but there are some rare cases where it only takes a couple of hours. Of course there is always human _attraction, _but it is the wolf that finds the mate. It makes me wonder exactly how long Naruto's wolf had held feelings for me. Naruto had moved into the house a couple years back and ever since then he'd never left me alone. I cringed at the thought, which caused Sakura to look at me funny.

As if reading my mind, she asked, "Any reason why you were practically oozing murderous glares toward our favorite Alpha?"

I glowered at her. She threw up her hands in an innocent gesture, defending herself. "I was just curious! Sheesh," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

I left without a word.

xxx

To say that I'd had better days would be an understatement. My feet hurt and I was tired. I'd tossed and turned, too worried over what Naruto had done to find peace in blissful sleep. I had one customer come in, and she practically threw herself at me when I finished her car.

I'd shaken her off, but she had attached herself to my arm. I carefully peeled her away with a sneer, ignoring the pout she was sending my way.

"Say," she chirped sweetly, and it hurt my ears. "Would you like to go to lunch? I'm sure you're hungry after working so hard."

"Next time remember to change your oil," I told her, ignoring her invitation. I got enough of this from Karin (who thankfully, was not here).

She whined softly at how I had so easily brushed her off, but she gave up and left, regardless. I closed the garage door, switched the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' and buried myself in my office for the rest of the day.

I considered my options. I couldn't go to Sakura for information without having Naruto know what I was doing. He was possessive and would want to protect me from being a part of this, even though that was exactly what I was. I figured the only way to get the information I needed was by getting it myself.

That meant tracking where those two who had chased me yesterday had come from.

I wasn't very fond of the idea as most times I went out as a coyote I was picked up by random family. One time I had been picked up by animal control. Let me tell you, that was not a pleasant experience. Itachi has never let me forget it.

I made a face and shook my head. I left through the back and climbed into my car, where I shed my clothes and my human form.

The rest of the day was spent with my nose to the ground. I had followed the path I had taken in my getaway, though I kept a safe distance from Naruto's house.

I wasn't a tracker. My mother was better at in, only because she had actually had time to practice out in the country. The city, my mother told me, was the hardest place to learn to be a tracker. If you did learn to track in the city, you'd probably be the best damn tracker in the world. There are a lot of smells to sort through, and after a while you just want to scream in frustration.

Three hours in, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I yowled my irritation into the grass and dropped to the ground. I heard a giggle, and my ear swiveled to hear better.

"Mommy, look," a little girl cried, and I let out a huff, rising to my feet. "It's pretty!"

"It a coyote," the mother said back, and she sounded a little surprised. "So close to the city? C'mon hunny . . ."

"B-but . . . I want to see the coyote!"

I listened as the mother dragged her daughter away and huffed again as silence filled my ears.

"S-Sasuke?"

I jumped to face Hinata. I doubted this was a coincidence, and I let out a growl as the black haired werewolf approached me. She smiled softly at me. "C-Come on, Sasuke, Naruto sent me to find you. He w-wants to see you."

I bet he did.

I was scooped up into her arms and she held me tight when I began to wiggle. "Did you leave y-your car at your place?" she mumbled to me, scratching my back. My back arched despite myself, enjoying the massage.

She took me back to my car, put me in the passenger seat, and drove me to Naruto's. I stayed as a coyote until we arrived at the house and Kiba met us at the door.

He burst into laughter at the sight of me.

xxx

"You're lucky you weren't picked up by animal control!" Kiba howled with laughter. He gripped his shaking sides. Even Hinata had trouble holding back the laughter. I spotted her at the doorway to the kitchen with a hand held over her mouth.

"Fuck you," I growled. "What the hell do you want, anyway?"

Naruto was pacing in front of the sofa where I was sitting, but he stopped at my words and looked towards me. I was surprised that I could actually meet his gaze and not feel the urge to look away. "Well," he said as he came closer. "I've decided what I'm going to do with you."

"Do with me?" I hissed, my dark eyes narrowing.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead before I had the chance to protest (a.k.a. rip his lips off his smug face) and grinned at me. "You, Sasuke, are going to have _bodyguards_. Ino and Neji are going to be taking care of you."

xxx

**Author's Note:** Yeah, that little girl? That'd be me. xD

A little shorter, but meh. Sorry. Review? This is the edited version. Any mistakes _should_ be corrected.


	5. Chapter 5

Take Me

**Author's Note: **Please wait while the author gets under her flame proof blanket.

OKAY. Um...hi? I'm reallyreallyreally sorry about not updating. My computer DIED on me then it refused to let me on the internet. I'm sorry, please forgive me? I'm giving you a slightly longer chapter...

Thank my Beta **ParamourConspiracy **for dealing with my grammar and spelling mistakes. Noa.

**Disclaimer: **I do now own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke wouldn't be such an ass sometimes.

**Warning: **I dunno. Cursing? D:

xxx

**Chapter Five**

To say that I was mad would be an understatement. I don't remember ever being this angry with the blond; not even the time when he jumped me shortly after he had moved here. I immediately shoved him back so I could stand. It didn't help much–the idiot was still taller than me, but at least now he wasn't towering over me.

"Bodyguards," I snarled. I kept clenching and unclenching my fist, and I suddenly had the urge to punch him in the jaw again. "Keep your pack the hell away from me, Naruto."

He shook his head and came closer. I heard a door shut and assumed that Kiba and his mate had left, meaning I was alone with one very protective Alpha. Great . . . just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse.

"No can do, Sasuke," he said, his voice rough and husky. Despite my anger at him, my knees went weak at the sound. I hate to admit it; Naruto was an idiot, but he was a hot idiot.

I mentally kicked myself for the thought, even if it had been a reluctant one.

"That strange scent, those two creatures that came after you," Naruto continued, his voice still that same rough tone. "I'm not leaving you alone so you can turn up dead."

My lip curled back in a silent snarl, planning my getaway. I knew exactly what Naruto meant when he said 'not leaving you alone', and I wasn't very keen on the idea of him and the pack following my every step. I was faster than a werewolf in coyote form, so my best bet was to change and hightail it out of there before Naruto got a chance to put his plan into action. My mind made up, I lunged at him and slipped past with only inches to spare between his hand and my arm. I was out the door in seconds.

Or I would have been if he hadn't grabbed me around the waist and dragged me to the floor.

My chin slammed onto the unyielding wood floor and Naruto slammed onto me. His weight quickly disappeared from my back, only to reappear as he straddled my waist. My arms were captured above my head as he pinned my hands to the ground. I shifted to shoot one of my deadly glares at him, demanding he get up that very instant before I murdered him in his sleep.

Naruto chuckled (and if I had been in his place, I would have laughed, too; sneaking up on a werewolf was no easy feat, even when they were asleep) and placed a kiss to the top of my head. "Let you go?" he growled, but his blue eyes were dancing. He was enjoying this, the bastard. "Why? So you can run and get yourself into more trouble? I don't think so."

I gritted my teeth and clawed at the hand that held mine. He held both of them with one hand, which annoyed me to no end, while his other rubbed 'soothing' circles on my back. I snorted. His whole body shook with silent laughter.

"What?" I snapped, squirming. "Are you going to keep me here, locked up in a bedroom?"

He leaned down, and I stopped moving when his chest pressed against my back. I could feel his warm breath against the side of my neck. "No," he drawled. "I'm waiting for Neji and Ino to arrive. They will escort you home, to work, and here every couple of days." I saw him flash a brilliant smile at me from the corner of my eye. "See? It won't be so bad."

Not so bad, my ass. Naruto knew Neji wasn't very fond of me (and I, him). The next couple of weeks were going to be hell. To express my displeasure, I bucked, trying to catch him unguarded and throw him off me. His weight on top of me only increased. I grunted and jerked my head away when he buried his nose in my hair.

He inhaled sharply. "Careful, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, pressing his hips against my buttocks. There was a long pause. Then, "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Goddamn werewolves.

xxx

Ino's foot bounced lazily from where she sat in the corner of my garage. She had taken one look around the small room, her nose wrinkling as the smell of oil reached her, and grabbed a seat on the other side of the room. Neji had immediately disappeared inside my office. Ino said something about keeping in constant contact with Naruto via the office phone.

Why he didn't just use his cell phone, I have no idea.

I went straight back to work, keeping my hands busy with tuning up a 2001 Mustang instead of kicking Hyuuga out of my office.

I had known from the very minute I woke up that it was going to be a long day. Ino had prattled on and on about things I ignored while I made coffee. Neji just glared at the coffee I made for him, but otherwise was silent.

I wondered why Naruto had ordered Ino to be one of my body guards. She wasn't exactly a high-ranking werewolf. Females got their rank from their mates, and Choji was near the very bottom. She wasn't a fighter, either, though that didn't mean she couldn't take down anything that chose to cross paths with her. I snorted. The idiot had probably done it to annoy me. It was working.

"You know," Ino's voice broke through the silence. "He's only wants you to be safe."

I didn't pause in my work as I ground out, "I don't need to be taken care of."

Ino's heels against the ground alerted me to her approach, and I turned to face her. She was still shorter than me, even with four inch heels. I glared down at her as she smiled softly.

"Of course not, Sasuke," she cooed, her hand outstretched to pat my arm. She drew away when she spotted the grease. "It's the Alpha's job to take care of us, though. With you being his mate, well..."

"I'm not pack." My voice was cold. "And I'm _not_ his mate."

Her eyes narrowed in response. "Damnit, Sasuke, I could leave right now, but I can't. Naruto told me to protect his _mate_. If you weren't his mate, I could walk out that door right now. You can't possibly say that you don't feel at least a little bit of affection for the blonde!" She threw her hands up into the air then rested them on her hips. Her ice blue eyes pinned me with a glare, which I returned.

I hated to admit it, but Ino had a point. Orders from the Alpha were to be followed, no matter what. Especially direct orders. If Naruto told her to protect his mate, then Ino was going to protect his mate.

That didn't mean I was happy about it, and I was certainly not going to accept the fact that I really was his mate without a fight.

I pursed my lips, causing Ino to grin widely, all anger forgotten. She saw my expression for what it was: reluctant defeat.

"What does it mean to be his mate, anyway?" I said the words slowly, as if testing them on my tongue. It felt weird to say 'his mate'.

"It's a bond," Ino explained. "Your strength is his strength, and vice versa: he needs you. The wolf doesn't randomly choose somebody to be their mate." I already knew this, but I didn't have a chance to say anything because Ino started talking again. "The wolf . . . well, when my wolf saw Choji, it was crazy. She wanted to be set free so she could go to him, be with him. It's a bond that lasts forever."

I knew when Ino said forever, she meant it. Werewolves have extremely long lives. They didn't age. My mother and I, because of what we were, would age at a much slower pace, but I would grow old. My stomach turned uneasily at the idea of leaving Naruto when I die . . . and I quickly shot those thoughts down.

I shook my head furiously, waving Ino away with a grease-stained towel. She shrieked and jumped away, but she laughed as she went back to her seat. Neji exited from my office.

"Closing time already, Neji dear?" Ino purred, glancing at the clock on the wall.

It was already five thirty.

I allowed Ino to escort me back to Neji's car, trying to ignore her insane giggles.

xxx

It had been a week since Naruto had assigned Ino and Neji guard duty, and I was beginning to miss my alone time. Waking up to Ino's perky voice was gradually driving me insane, and Neji expectedly managed to piss me off nearly every day.

It was Sunday, which meant I didn't have to go in to work, so I planned to stay in bed watching TV and reading. I could hear Ino talking to Neji from down the hall. I was growing anxious. I enjoyed being by myself. I needed to get out of the house, without my guards. It would be no easy feat.

I sat on my bed, telling myself I wasn't pouting but thinking of a way to get out when I remembered that my house only had one story and the bathroom had a window just above the counter.

I felt ridiculous climbing out of the window in my bathroom. It was my own house, for god's sake. I fell to the ground with a soft thud and paused, listening for footsteps.

There was none, so I ran, jumping the fence in the backyard and making my way to the road. Naruto would be pissed at me, and the very thought made me smirk.

I checked my back pocket for my wallet. Lunch sounded very good at the moment, so I set off to find my favorite cafe.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come out." The whisper came from behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end.

I was beginning to think that it wasn't my week. The second I get to spend some time by myself, somebody decides they want to bother me. I sniffed, stifling the groan that desperately wanted to be let out.

These goddamn werewolves and these _goddamn_ smelly bastards.

"What the hell do you want?" I hissed, turning to see somebody hanging upside down on the side of my neighbor's house. My eyes flickered back and forth. Only one?

"No, no, no." The figure scuttled down the wall to land on the ground in front of me. He was doing something with his hands, but I couldn't see properly. His hand jerked and something wrapped itself around my arm. It felt like silk against my skin.

"The wonders my kind can do," he purred, jerking the rope wrapped around my arm. I resisted, but I stumbled forward a few steps when he jerked again, harder this time.

"What exactly is 'your kind'?" I growled as I clawed at the rope. My attempts were in vain. The damn stuff stayed firmly wrapped around my arm.

"The Master will tell you," he chuckled, his smile so large the sight made _my_ cheeks hurt.

I rolled my eyes heavenward. This was not the way to show Naruto I didn't need protecting. "Release me."

"Sorry, Sasuke," the creature spread his hands out, shrugging. "No can do. You've caused a lot of problems so far, and the Master is getting really impatient." More ropes shot out to wrap themselves around me, and for a moment I panicked before I schooled my features.

The rope glimmered as the light hit it, and my frown deepened as I looked at it more closely. It looked the spider silk. I grunted as I was pulled closer to him. I stopped breathing. He smelled horrible.

Neji jumped out from behind the corner so fast even I had trouble following his movements. He sliced through the silky netting quickly, already half transformed. His pale eyes flickered to me, even as he lunged for the creature behind me. Ino was there, her heels clicking against the pavement loudly as she ran.

I gathered up the last bit of my pride and allowed Ino to grab me and carry me away from the fight. She sat me down and I shoved her away. She snorted, mumbling something about 'only trying to help,' and 'this is the thanks I get'. We both jumped when what sounded like a bone cracking reached our ears. A wolf yelp quickly followed.

Ino's eyes were wide, and her hand was shaking as she drew her phone from her pocket. She could barely manage opening it, so I grabbed it from her with a growl and punched in Naruto's number.

He answered on the first ring. "Ino?"

"No," I snapped, my anger already at it's breaking point. Not only had I been attacked by another one of those creatures, but I'd just been rescued by a women. "It's Sasuke. Get your ass out here. I snuck out and I think Neji is hurt."

I didn't want to listen to Naruto's explosion, so I snapped the phone shut and tossed it back to Ino. She was shaking, as if she could already feel her Alpha's power rolling over her.

I sighed and turned back to look at my neighbor's house.

xxx

**Author's Note: **I'm really sorry for the wait. Forgive me?


	6. Chapter 6

Take Me

**Author's Note: **Um...should I prepare myself for the many 'WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?' comments? I think I should. I'm sorry. I just couldn't find any time or inspiration to write this chapter. But I thought of it everyday...and how guilty I felt for not giving you anything. So here is the next chapter, no matter how short it is.

AND 100 REVIEWS? I love you guys. ;.;

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I do however, have my own Team Seven. xD

**Warning: **Yayyy, softie!Sasuke.

xxx

**Chapter Six**

Ino was pacing nervously back and forth in front of me, worrying on the side of her lip. I ignored her and kept my eyes on the road, where I could already see Naruto racing towards us in wolf form. Hinata and Kiba were just behind him.

I was his first target. I was on my back before I could blink with a very angry werewolf baring his teeth against my neck. I froze, my heart pounding nearly out of my chest. I think I heard Ino gasp, or it could have been me; I wasn't sure. He snarled against my neck, but I could tell he was more worried than angry. At least, I hoped so...I wasn't in the mood to deal with an angry Naruto. Not after what had just happened.

But still...I was in more trouble than I wanted to be in.

It all happened fairly quickly. Naruto was gone and I was left with Ino kneeling beside me, whispering to me to, "Stay on your back. Show him your stomach." She sounded panicked so I did was she said.

There was a lot of growls and yelps of pain coming from behind the house, but I didn't dare move my head to look. I didn't move when Hinata and Kiba arrived.

There was small cry of pain...then silence.

Slowly I shifted to find a limp Neji being dragged by a still transformed Naruto. Hinata and Ino were instantly on him, carrying him back to Naruto's house, casting wary glances around the neighborhood every once in a while. Kiba disappeared to take care of the corpse. I was left with Naruto.

I still hadn't rolled over onto my stomach, and (as much as I hate to admit it), I winced when Naruto stalked over to where I was lying. Any anger I had possessed had instantly drained away with the arrival of the very angry werewolf Alpha. Now I was merely curious as to why he was reacting the way he was...

I could see the question in his eyes.

"I'm not just going to lie back and do everything you say, Uzumaki," I drawled. I left out the 'just because I've...accepted...you as my mate, that doesn't mean I'll do everything you say', only because I didn't want Naruto to get any ideas.

He let out a growl before seizing the collar of my shirt. Without warning, I was lifted and dragged across the asphalt. I let out an involuntary yelp and scrambled to find purchase. I slipped multiply times, as the soles of my shoes were worn down.

Once we were at the house, I was surrounded by wolves. Naruto dumped me on the sofa before heading upstairs to check on Neji. Ino was in the corner of the living room, a mass of shivering fur against her mate's stomach. Ino's suddenly transformation must have triggered the transformation of the others in the room; Kiba, Hinata and a couple of other wolves who I didn't know personally were lying about, tongues lolling. Shikamaru was the only one to remain in human form.

Sakura, Tsunade and Shizune were called. They arrived in record time, joining Naruto upstairs. I stayed on the couch; I didn't think leaving would be a good idea. There was an angry Alpha upstairs with an injured pack mate. Leaving would be like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Wolves came and went, some in human form and some as actual wolves. They watched me with glowing eyes, as if they blamed me for Neji's injuries. I was beginning to get annoyed. If Naruto was going to yell at me, I figured he better hurry up and get his ass down here. I wasn't going to sit here with these wolves any longer than needed. I didn't have to wait long thankfully, because Sakura came down the stairs to take a seat beside me.

"Naruto said you got attacked," she whispered.

"I'm fine," I said. "How's Neji?"

She pursed her lips and studied me with jade eyes. "He's fine," she finally said, tucking some hair behind her ear. "He isn't leaving that bed for a couple of weeks, but Shizune says he'll make a complete recovery."

That was good; I may hate the Hyuuga, but that doesn't mean I'd wish permanent harm on him.

"Naruto says to go up to his room, now." Sakura told me, patting my arm and pulling me to my feet. She cast a glance around the room at the slumbering Kiba and Hinata to the still shivering Ino. She gave Choji a sympathic smile before tugging me towards the staircase. Tsunade met us half way, with Shizune and Naruto close behind her.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Naruto cried, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, brat," Tsunade replied, "I have to get my clan out of the state before they find us."

"Are you honestly telling me that this..._demon_ is stronger than three very powerful witches?"

"I'm saying that if he gets a hold of us, Naruto, we're done for: he'll kill every single one of us slowly and painfully." Tsunade snapped before noticing that Sakura and I were watching.

"He wants Sasuke," Tsunade said, turning back towards the fuming Alpha. "Keep him safe, brat."

She touched his cheek with her finger tips in a motherly before ushering Shizune and Sakura down the stairs ahead of her. Sakura looked back at us once, but then they were gone from the house.

I stood frozen, clutching the railing so hard my knuckles were going white. I watched Naruto's face go from confusion and anger to panic. His blue eyes settled on me, and before I could stop him, I was pressed against his chest and being carried to his room. I huffed and resigned myself to my fate.

xxx

"How long have we known each other, Sasuke," Naruto asked me later that night. He had me pressed against his side on his bed. I was beginning to get hungry, but Naruto didn't look like he was planning on moving any time soon.

"Seven years, idiot." I answered. Then after a moment, I added as an after-thought, "I'm hungry."

I could feel him chuckle, but it seemed weak. "I've always liked you," he whispered, nudging my forehead with his nose. I snorted and wiggled. "When I first saw you, I just had to meet you."

Really now? I still remembered the days after Naruto had moved in. I spent a week underneath my bed after a surprise attack from the stupid blonde.

"You're my mate, Sasuke," Naruto continued, arms tightening around my waist. He curled around me. "I won't let this demon...whatever it is, take you."

I sighed and curled up, pressing myself against the blonde idiot in surrender. For seven years I had known Naruto. Seven years I had ignored his flirting and invitations to dinner. I hadn't even considered that maybe he'd been serious enough to consider me his mate, but after seeing Naruto now, as a protective and terrified Alpha trying to protect me, I was touched.

Of course, I would never admit it to Naruto.

"Don't worry, mate of mine," he breathed into my ear. "I have watched you for seven years, and now that I can finally touch, nothing will take you away."

I rolled my eyes and told him to shut up and go to sleep.

xxx

In all my days of working with the supernatural, I have never heard of demons. It thought they were just things of legends. Stupid of me, I know, but there hadn't been anything written down or recorded of demon attacks or appearances. After behind attacked by three of them, I was beginning to feel a little irritated that nobody had felt the need to let people know of their existence.

Apparently Tsunade and her group knew about them and were scared of them too. I was still a little surprised that they had left town so quickly. Other thing that bothered me was how long it took them to figure out what the hell it was that was coming after me.

I said as much to Naruto, but he only smiled and stroked my hair.

At least we know what we're up against, he had said.

It was a shame that Tsunade and her witches wouldn't be there to help out. Never the less, Naruto was determined and insisted that they didn't need the witches help. However, you could tell he and the entire pack were on edge. Neji was recovering slowly. He suffered from broken rips and a couple of deep wounds, but he was able to move on his own. The entire pack was on guard duty. Naruto was beyond stressed; even I could feel the effect waiting had on him.

After five days of being under constant watch, I received a call from my parents.

"You used to call me every week, Sasuke Uchiha," my mother scolded. "Now I hear more from Itachi than I do from you. It would be nice to know how my youngest son is doing, you know."

My father only asked me about the garage. It was fine, I told him bitterly, though I wondered how unhappy my customers were with my disappearance. I knew the only reason he was asking me was because he wanted to hear how my business was failing.

Naruto of course refused to let me go to work, even with bodyguards. "You're staying right here with me, Uchiha," he growled, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing me to his hip. I suppressed a groan.

"You're my mate," I hissed. "Not my babysitter."

I don't think he heard anything past the word 'mate', if his triumphant smirk had anything to say about it.

xxx

**Author's Note: **It's short, and the next chapter is going to be even shorter. Please review?


	7. Intermission

Take Me

**Author's Note: **This chapter is short. It has been since the insant I sat down to map out this story. Sorry, but it's necessary.

_THIS WAS POSTED BY MIRROR'S FRIEND BECAUSE SHE GOT SIDETRACKED BY SATs AND I GOT IMPATIENT. Teehee?_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Bah. Or the Mercy Thompson series, which this is loosely based off of...

**Warnings: **Creepy-ness?

xxx

**Intermission**

The motel they had chosen for the night was eerily quiet, even if it was a small town. When Kabuto entered, he could already smell the blood that had been shed on the upper floors. With a shake of his head, he moved to the elevator and caught a ride to the second floor.

There was a women propped up against the wall, peacefull looking except the wide eyed stare. Kabuto only gave her a second of his time before he continued onward. The room he was searching for was at the very end of the hallway, and it already stank of blood and demon. He took a deep breath before entering.

"Kidoumaru was unsuccessful, my Lord." Kabuto mumbled, studying the still form hunched overed in the bed.

"I had a feeling he would fail," came the hissed reply. There was a slight chuckle, and the figure moved. Glowing snake like eyes peered at him through midnight black hair. The demon smiled.

"Your orders?"

"Ah," Orochimaru purred, sliding out of the bed and stalking towards the open laptop on the desk. "I have a feeling that his werewolf pet will stop everything we throw at him." He shut the laptop shut with a snap after a moment of typing and turned on his light haired companion. "Kabuto, why don't _you _pay our dear Uchiha a visit."

Kabuto smiled; finally he would be seeing some action. His fingers twitched, anxious to hold a weapon. He would have left right then to prepare, but he had to ask, "What about the werewolf?"

Orochimaru flicked his wrist, dismissing the werewolf problem quickly. "He proves to be no threat to you."

Kabuto was a little disappointed. He had hoped that his orders would be to get rid of Naruto Uzumaki once and for all, but now he would have to find an excuse to kill the Alpha. Ah, well...

"Very well..."

Kabuto turned to leave, only looking back once to see the twisted grin on his Lord's face. The demon's obsession with this Uchiha boy was strange, really, but Kabuto was not one to question. Orochimaru had his reasons, he was sure, and if it made his Lord happy...

The door slipped shut behind him quietly, leaving Orochimaru alone in his dark hotel room. He let out a little chuckle and took a seat at the desk, leaning his head back. He licked his lips.

Soon the little Walker would be in his hands. They were _so _very rare. Walkers were born, never made. Strong and powerful. This body was failing him, and Sasuke's body was so _young. _Perfect.

He had waited long enough. It was silly, really; Orochimaru wondered why he hadn't just sent Kabuto to fetch him in the first place. He laughed, suddenly remembering.

He liked to play with his prey before he caught them.

xxx

**Author's Note: **Told you it was creepy. I couldn't believe I was writing it. Sheesh.


	8. Chapter 7

Take Me

**Author's Note: **Well...at least I didn't take three months to get this finished, eh? Just almost two, haha. About my demons: I mayyyy have stolen a little bit from Supernatural, but hey? It fits with my plot. So shush. xD Also, I love my beta and my reviewers. You guys make me smile. :3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, nor do I own the Mercy Thompson series, which this is loosely based.

**Warning: **Violence, cursing...some other stuff. (insert innocent whistling here)

xxx

**Chapter Seven**

A week passed.

It crawled by at a snail's pace, and I was beginning to feel impatient. Naruto was my constant companion, and damn him, I was beginning to warm up to him. It had taken seven years and many, many attempts on Naruto's part, but the idiot had finally won.

One night, Naruto commented on how he was surprised it had only taken seven years.

"You're a genius, Sasuke," he'd said, pressing a kiss to my cheek (which I'd automatically wiped away with a scowl). "But how many times did I have to ask you to go on a date with me before you discovered I was being serious?"

A hundred and forty four times, but it wasn't like I was counting . . .

Neji was healed, though if you watched him hard enough you could catch a flicker of pain flash across his face before it disappeared behind a cold mask. He returned home with orders to rest, despite his protests that he was perfectly fine. Pack members came and went, but Kiba and Hinata became permanent housemates. A precaution, I was told, in case the house was attacked.

Naruto seemed certain it would be.

The garage was fine, in the capable hands of Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo. Juugo assured me that business was as usual and nothing had been broken yet; I could hear Karin yelling something incomprehensible in the background, so I figured that would last a couple more hours before I needed to buy a new door. But I was satisfied that my business wasn't going down the tubes, so I hung up after a brief conversation and tried to find a few moments of peace.

I spent most of my time researching on the internet. Demons were creatures that sought after the basic pleasures in life; food, drink, sex, companionship. They caught and possessed their prey.

Naruto caught me reading about some demon ritual one afternoon. Whether it was real or not, I have no idea, as he dragged me away before I could find where the information had come from. The next day, I couldn't find the computer anywhere.

"I'm a grown man, Naruto," I'd hissed at him. "Protect me if you wish, but do _not_ treat me like a child who runs at the first sign of trouble."

We ignored each other for the entire day, but, of course, that didn't stop my '_mate_'.

At the end of the third week, I was more than impatient. I was anxious.

I called Itachi to alert him to my situation.

"So you're telling me, you've got a demon after you, and this demon wants to possess you?" He probably would have been amused if I didn't sound so tired.

"If the website was correct, then yes; I'm currently on house arrest under Naruto's watchfuleye," I replied.

"Any hints as to who this 'demon' is?" Itachi asked, and I could hear his chair creak as he leaned back through the phone.

"Tsunade didn't say anything besides that it was dangerous to stay put."

"I'll give her a call."

And he hung up.

Naruto was there, pulling me into his arms. I pressed my lips together and passed him the phone, but he merely tossed it over his shoulder, where it landed on the floor with a _thud. _

"You're tired," he mumbled, brows furrowing. "Come with me."

He didn't give me a choice in the matter, for he picked me up; his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and carried me up the stairs to the guest bedroom where I had demanded I sleep during my stay. He fell back onto the bed with me still in his arms, and I wiggled out of his grasp to curl up on the far end of the bed. My mate he may be–I still cannot believe I had accepted that fact–and he may have held me in his sleep before, but I still had a bit of my pride left.

But of course, as I said, that didn't stop him from pressing his chest against my back. I stiffened, but a quick kiss to my sensitive neck had me melting.

Damn.

"I know I'm being over protective, Sasuke," the blonde idiot mumbled against my skin. "I just got you, remember? I–"

"Just shut up, Naruto."

Any other person would have been discouraged to continue, but Naruto is not any other person. He's an idiot who just so happens can transform into a 286 pound wolf. Not any other person, indeed.

"Sasuke," he breathed.

I rolled over to face him with a retort on the tip of my tongue, but it was stolen from my mouth along with my breath as Naruto's lips descended on mine. I went rigid, my hands shooting forward to fist Naruto's t-shirt. I was shocked. Sure, Naruto had kissed me before, but always on my cheek or my forehead; never my lips.

It was awkward at first; I was completely still while Naruto's lips gently brushed against mine, hot breath fanning across my face, urging me to act. After a while, I relaxed. I could feel Naruto's arm creeping it's away over my waist and up my back to pull me closer, and my hands loosened their death grip on his shirt to wrap around his neck.

So I was getting soft; I guess after seven years of following me like a lost puppy, Naruto deserved a treat . . . of course, I bring this to my grave.

Our lips pressed a little harder against each other, and Naruto let out a satisfied growl from deep in the back of his throat. I could feel his chest vibrate, we were so close. I sucked in a greedy breath through my nose, and all I could smell was him. And it was nice, and I'm happy to admit I was enjoying it.

Until a crash sounded from downstairs.

We jerked apart, panting. I was left with Naruto's scent still surrounding me and the feel of his lips still on mine. The crash was just as much of a surprise as the kiss, and we were both left frozen on the bed.

"_Fuck!"_

It was Kiba. Naruto frowned and stood. "I'll be right back," he told me and slipped out the door quickly.

I pushed myself up with my elbows and after a moment swung out of the bed, walking slowly out the room and to the landing of the stairs. There were several more crashes sounded from what seemed to be the kitchen, and then laughter. More cursing.

I scowled and hurried down to the living room. Through the entry way, I could see two people; I immediately passed them off as demons. They reeked. Something inside snapped; I was not going to sit back and let these attacks continue. I rushed them, surprising Naruto. He didn't even have time to reach out to grab me. My fist connected with one of the demon's jaw, and it stumbled back with a grunt. The other one only smiled. Fingers flexed, curled around my arm.

I had never been touched by one before; bitten, yes. Their skin was freezing. It felt human yet it didn't, it was hard to explain. It felt as disgusting as he smelled. I kicked out, my foot meeting the demon's stomach. I heard the demon's breath leave his lungs in a whoosh and grinned when he choked on a gasp. Naruto was snarling behind me and then a mass of fur rushed by to pounce on the other as it recovered from my punch.

"I am Sakon," he was gasping, and through the gasps I could hear the chuckles. "Are you ready to go, Sasuke?"

I felt my lip curl as Kiba came up behind me to back me up. There was a howl from somewhere outside.

Sakon moved quickly, almost too quickly for my eyes to see, but it was no problem for Kiba. I found myself skidding across the kitchen tile until I get the wall, but Kiba had found his target. His claws on one hand were buried in Sakon's shoulder, while the other hand raked across the demon's eyes. With a howl, Sakon's hands flew to his face and fell back, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Kiba!"

Hinata's scream came a little too late; she'd been rushing to help her mate. She had only just arrived on the scene. Something slipped up behind her and took her to the floor. Her head bounced as it hit the tile, but her attacker didn't stay to check if she would have stayed down. Distracted by his mates call and enraged by her brutal treatment, Kiba began to shift. I was getting to my feet when I caught his predatory gaze. I stilled. Anything that moved would probably be Kiba's target once his transformation was complete.

Sakon moved to interfere, but he had barely taken a step before Naruto rolled in, twisted around the other demon, and straight into him. Naruto yelped and I lunged forward, but Kiba was growling and circling the three. Not in the mood to get bitten, I fell back and turned my attention to the newcomer. He'd disappeared after attacking Hinata, so I breathed in deeply and tried to track him down. Everything smelled like blood and stank of demon, and I was unsuccessful in my search.

Unfortunately, he was not.

His glasses flashed as the light from the kitchen caught the lens. I kicked. He struck. I don't remember what happened after that.

xxx

There was a satisfying crunch of bone as Naruto bit down even harder on the pale neck. There was a gasp from beside him; the other demon's eyes were wide in anger and he was shaking.

"Ukon!" he growled, lunging for the blonde Alpha.

Kiba was on him, and Sakon felt his arm pop out of its socket as the werewolf's head crashed into his shoulder. There was the sting of claws digging into his body, literally shredding him to pieces, but the darkness swallowed him before jaws locked around his own neck.

Naruto studied the scene before him with angry blue eyes. Two dead demons, an uncontrollable Second, said wolf's unconscious mate, and Sasuke . . .

Where was Sasuke?

Naruto growled and dropped the body, licking his chops. He was shaking, something was wrong; he could feel it: something was wrong. _Where was Sasuke?_

His eyes caught those of his Second, and those golden eyes flickered before they became black. Kiba lowered his head and lowered his belly to the floor, skirting around him and over to where his mate lay. The Alpha lingered only a moment over Hinata before venturing further into the living room.

Nothing.

No Sasuke. His scent still lingered in the air, mixed with that of another demon.

And Naruto's wolf snarled in outrage and pain.

xxx

**Author's Note: **It was funny - I actually had to go back and re-read/watch the part where Sakon and Ukon fight, because it's been so long! They kind of remind me of Yazoo and Loz from Advent Children, cause they fight so well together. Just . . . you know . . . they're a lot less cool.

Reviews please?


	9. Chapter 8

Take Me

**Author's Note: **AHHH, I'm sorry for the wait! I'm REALLYREALLY sorry. D8 I can't believe I put off updating this for so long. I missed my story's birthday! I made you guys wait! Please forgive me? You'll be happy to know that we're nearing the climax, and look! You get a look at what Naruto's doing to get Sasuke back.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Boo.

**Warning: **Wheeee, disturbing images if you think about it. For some reason, I think of Darkling from the Cal Leandros Series when I read this chapter, ha-ha.

xxx

**Chapter Eight**

It was taking too long, in Naruto's opinion. Granted, he had just sent out the call to the rest of his pack, but it was _taking too long_. When his first wolves arrived – Choji, along with his mate, Ino – he demanded that one of them call Tsunade and the other try to contact the Marrock. It took a while to get the message across, but after dragging the phone book out from its place by the phone, the mated pair was smart enough to put two and two together.

He would have done it himself, but dialing a phone was difficult to do with paws. Besides, Naruto was too upset to do much speaking besides snarls and grunts. Hinata was still unconscious, Kiba was circling her, severely distressed, and his mate, Sasuke, was gone. The Marrock needed to be called now, and if they had any questions they better keep them to themselves. They did so, thank the gods, and Naruto could pace the living room without being interrupted.

He was alerted to Ino's arrival by the click-click of her heels on the tile that softened and disappeared as she crossed the threshold into the carpeted living room.

"The Marrock is sending Kakashi," Ino told him softly. "He's catching the next flight out of Montana and will be here tomorrow."

Good, Naruto thought with a snort. Kakashi was the best damn tracker that Naruto had ever met, besides the Marrock. But the Marrock was the Marrock – the leader of all North American wolves – and there were few who could compete with him. Sarutobi was also extremely compassionate and took care of his own. If anybody could help him get back Sasuke, it was Sarutobi. Naruto was grateful.

"Choji also got a hold of Tsunade," Ino continued, her voice still soft. She watched him for a moment, her eyes sad, before saying, "She feels horrible and she's sending Sakura. She also said she feels responsible for what happened, but that leaving was in her clan's best interest."

Naruto was calm enough by now to transform, and he did so as fast as possible. It wasn't a good idea to force a transformation – they tended to be painful and left the wolf immobile for a bit. He finished his transformation and popped his spine back into place with a soft groan and pursed his lips.

At least Sakura was coming.

He wrapped himself in a blanket from the couch and made his way up the stairs to await the arrival of Kakashi and Sakura, so they could plot all the ways he could tear this demon apart apart.

xxx

It was beyond obvious that Naruto was starting to get impatient. He had never been one to wait around for long periods of time; the blonde werewolf would start to fidget and if he didn't _move_, he got into trouble. Even with the arrival of Kakashi, the entire pack was feeling the stress that rolled off their Alpha in waves. They offered up what little comfort they could, but it was like walking on egg shells: one wrong move and you had an Alpha on your ass. Kakashi tried to placate him by telling him everything his own pack knew. The demon was named Orochimaru, and he was well known for chasing after witches and vampires. Their Third knew that the location of Orochimaru's home was in Canada and with a little more digging they were sure to find some of his smaller bases between here and Vancouver.

While this calmed down Naruto for a few hours, Sakura's arrival with Tsunade's research on demonic possessions set him into a panic. The Uzumaki household was not a very happy place to be, and until Sasuke was back, it wouldn't be for a while. And hearing Sakura's news, the pack decided that they better get that coyote back soon, even if some of them despised the thought of him becoming one of their own.

"The entire process is disgusting, actually," Sakura said, opting to be blunt. Holding back any information was dangerous at this point. "Sasuke is going to pumped so full of drugs to keep him sedated by the time Orochimaru finally makes his move; I doubt he'll be able to recognize even you. Struggling only makes it harder for the demon to shed his old skin and crawl into the new – it'll be painful either way, of course." Sakura flipped through a couple of papers before licking her lips. She looked up and locked eyes with Naruto, noticing that his eyes were those of a wolf. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I-I'm certain, and so is Tsunade, that he will not take Sasuke's body for his own right away. He'll want to test out his new vessel."

"Test him how?" Naruto hissed from between his teeth.

"Um…well, test Sasuke's ability to withstand pain, his endurance. He'll want to make sure Sasuke's strong enough for him."

Sasuke was strong, Naruto thought, angry that this demon would doubt his mate's strength but hopeful because this meant they had more time to reach him before he was lost. Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

"We know they'll be heading towards Canada," Kakashi told him. "They've probably already arrived. We head out in two hours. The Marrock is paying for everything. We're going to get Sasuke back, Naruto, so relax so your pack can breathe."

At last, Naruto let his shoulders slump. So lost in his search for the Uchiha, Naruto had forgotten all about his pack. His eyes flickered to Kiba, who, as his second, was privy to these meetings and was standing in the corner. He could see the worry in his friend's eyes, and the stress that Naruto was putting him under. Naruto sighed and sat back with a sigh and closed his eyes.

These last two hours would be spent getting ready and trying to be as calm as he possibly could.

He succeeded, for the most part, for he still felt his wolf pacing back and forth inside of him, ready to pounce. Two hours later he was sitting in the passenger's side of Kakashi's rental car, waiting for Sakura to climb into the back. They would be catching a flight to Vancouver in three hours, but Naruto wished he was already there. He clutched the door handle in a tan hand and didn't release his grip until Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, pointing out the window.

They were at the airport.

xxx

**Two Days Later**

I was aware of the pain, but I didn't know where it was coming from. As I grew more aware, I noticed that my entire body hurt, as if I had been tossed down the stairs recently. My head was throbbing and my tongue was thick, and I couldn't properly move my arms. I was tied to a chair.

How original.

You would think that the bad guys would come up with a better form of tying their captives down.

I leaned my head back, biting back a groan as my neck protested the movement. I hadn't felt this bad since my wrestling matches with Itachi. And even then I didn't feel this bad. Whoever had hit me had done it in just the right spot, knocking me unconscious so quickly I hadn't had much time to do much other then gasp. I might have woken up before now, somewhere where I wasn't tied to a chair, but it was only for a moment and I don't remember much besides getting a bit of food and water.

At least they were _kind_ enough to take care of my basic needs.

I took in my surroundings for lack of anything else to do – a room without any windows, a single desk with a mirror (I glanced at it, lips curling back in disgust when I noticed the bruise forming on my cheek) and a rolling chair. My own seat was straight backed and made of wood, and my aching body screamed for something a bit more comfortable. My foot was asleep, too. Dammit. I was already so sick and tired of all this and I hadn't even been here for long. Or had I? I growled deep in my throat, extremely annoyed, twisting against my restraints. This place reeked of demon and I had made the mistake of taking a deep breath with a first woke. I gagged and breathed through my mouth.

I thought about going coyote, but my eyes traveled to the door. It would be stupid to change and then find I had no way of getting out, and if that camera had anything to say, it was that my captors would not open the door if they saw that I had changed into something that could dart past them quicker than they could catch me. But after seeing how fast my attacker had moved, I might not even be able to do that.

I glared at the camera, hoping somebody was watching. I was awake and I was not happy, and I wanted them to know it.

I sat in silence for a while. I noticed how dry my throat was and how hungry too I wasn't about to admit my weakness, though, and I wasn't even sure that the camera had a microphone on it. I shifted in my seat. Humming unconciously under my breath, I fastened my gaze on the door. I stopped to clear my throat. Sakura often hummed when she was working or distracted, and the constant buzzing drove me insane. It was a testiment to how out of it I was that I had fallen into one of Sakura's nasty habits. How much longer was I going to have to wait here for my captor to make his arrival, gloating about his victory?

Itachi was going to be pissed. Mother was going to be worried. Naruto – my thoughts always went back to Naruto, damn it all – was going to be in a rage. To distract myself from those thoughts, I started counting the ceiling tiles.

Yes, I was that bored.

xxx

**Author's Note:** Right. Well. I hope you enjoyed. Please review?


	10. Chapter 9

Take Me

**Author's Note: **So I started this chapter with the intent of finishing it in one go, unfortunately, that didn't happen. I apologize for the long wait, and I can't guarantee that it won't happen again. My stress level once I start college is going to be through the roof, even with my yoga classes…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mercy Thompson. I'm simply borrowing them with the intent to give them back…even if they are a little worse for wear.

**Warning: **Meh, just look at the other warnings. I'm too lazy to do this…

xxx

**Chapter Nine**

When I woke, I was confused.

First off, I wasn't even sure when I had fallen asleep in the first place. Secondly, I wasn't tied to a chair anymore, though that didn't make any difference. My movements were sluggish, limbs heavy. It was safe to assume that I had been drugged. I would have cursed if I was capable of it, but I could only manage gibberish. I turned my head slowly. I had been moved from my windowless room to yet another windowless room, but the smell of it…I wasn't even sure what it was, but it smelled horrible. I wasn't even sure how I'd ended up here; I didn't remember anybody coming in and collecting me. It was slightly maddening. And very concerning…

With a groan, I rolled onto my stomach. At least I hadn't been tied down this time. My wrists were rubbed raw, the redness a stark contrast to my pale skin. I turned my attention away from my arms to the room itself. It was dark, windowless (as said before), with one lamp in the corner, and if I craned my head I could see another camera perched in the corner by the door. Other than that, it was empty. I had been downgraded. I didn't know whether to be freaked out or insulted.

I didn't have much time to dwell on that, as the door entered. Glasses flashed in the faint light, and I immediately recognized him as my attacker.

"It's good that you're finally awake," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose. I watched as he approached, weary, my eyes on his hands. Empty. No more drugs; I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

He reached out and sat me up, escorting me out of the room. For the sake of seeing what was happening, I went along.

xxx

Naruto was sitting as low as possible in his chair, fists clenched against his knees. They had arrived in Vancouver a bit later than expected, their connecting flight having experienced a delay. Naruto had spent three hours pacing back and forth in front of a row of uncomfortable airport chairs, ignoring Sakura pleas to sit down.

The hotel they were staying in was huge, overlooking downtown. Naruto didn't care much for the view, too preoccupied with waiting for Kakashi's return. The older werewolf had left, cell phone glued to his ear as he sorted out information; where the base was, how they were getting there, and were they certain Orochimaru hadn't already started? Naruto didn't dwell on that last part for too long.

Behind him, Sakura sighed.

"Even _I_ can feel the killer vibes, Naruto," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto grunted in response.

"We're going to get him back," she continued in a whisper. Naruto titled his head back to meet her gaze, and he saw the doubt shining in her eyes. Naruto growled.

"I can't lose him," he mumbled, jumping to his feet and shaking out his limbs. "I need him; my wolf might have claimed him first, but over the past seven years…"

"I know, Naruto."

A thrill make Naruto jump, and he snatched up his phone from the desk, and after briefly glancing at the caller ID, barked, "What?"

"Un, and is that anyway to greet somebody?"

"Deidara?"

"Yeah, you wanna explain why Itachi left this morning, mumbling your name and looking like he was about to kill?"

Naruto frowned shrugged. "I have no idea."

Deidara let out a curse in German, something he had learned from his mother, Naruto supposed. "I'm not buying it, un."

"You don't have to," Naruto replied. "Why do you have Itachi's phone, anyway?"

"He forgot it in his rush," Deidara drawled. "Don't change the subject. He also mentioned Sasuke."

Naruto stiffened a bit, and he chewed on the inside of his lip. Deidara did not have the privilege to know about Naruto and his wolf side. Itachi insisted on keeping his partners in the dark. That was fine with Naruto.

But Itachi knew, and Itachi also knew that something was wrong. It was going to be hard explaining this one to the eldest Uchiha brother. A werewolf Naruto might be, but Itachi Uchiha could be scary when he wanted to be…

"I'll call him when I get back," Naruto said hastily and hung up on Deidara's protest. He shoved his phone deep into his pocket.

"We'll find him," Sakura said again.

Naruto nodded. He wasn't the only one who needed Sasuke.

xxx

Kakashi returned later that evening with a hard look in his eye. Naruto forced himself to stay seated, but he couldn't stop his leg from twitching.

"We found him."

"How?" Sakura breathed, sitting up from where she had been reclining on the bed. She had been attempting to make small talk with Naruto, but once she realized that the blonde Alpha wasn't paying attention, she had settled with humming one of her favorite songs. She was silent now, breath caught in her throat.

"We are not without contacts," Kakashi said shortly. He pinned Naruto with his one good eye. "We're ready to go now. Jiraiya is already on his way."

Jiraiya was their contact and go-to guy for information.

Naruto got to his feet slowly, forcing himself to be calm. "Let's go, then."

xxx

The world…was spinning. I wasn't sure if I was standing up for sitting down anymore, but my legs were trembling and my mouth was dry. I opened my eyes, not even sure when I had closed them, and pinned the man who had introduced himself as Kabuto with my worst glare. He didn't seem fazed. I needed to work on that.

"Get up, Sasuke," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "Five more miles and then you can rest."

I didn't move. I wasn't even sure I could have if I wanted. How long had I been running? Why was I even going along with what this man said?

I had collapsed on the thread mill. I clutched at the plastic, staring – glaring as hard as I could at him. He smiled. "Orochimaru is just concerned with your health, Sasuke."

"How kind of him."

"Yes, isn't it?"

He paused for a moment then moved. His glasses flashed and I was able to see his eyes, and that one look had me clutching harder at the plastic beneath my fingers. That one look had held many things, but jealousy had shone in that gaze the brightest. When I didn't move, Kabuto sighed and came closer.

"Do I not get an explanation behind this?"

Kabuto took my pulse as he spoke, "I will be blunt with you." He dropped my arm and straightened. "You are Orochimaru's new vessel, and you will cooperate."

I didn't much like the sound of that, nor did I like being told what to do. "Will I?" I asked, eyes narrowing.

I felt a prick and decided that yes, I would be cooperating. I had no other choice.

I was out.

xxx

**Author's Note:** I'm going to crawl into a hole to die now. This took FOREVER to write, oh, my Jesus. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Almost 200 reviews – wow! If you spot any mistakes, kindly point them out to me. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 10

Take Me

**Author's Note: **I AM SOOOO SORRY NO EXCUSE WILL EVER BE ENOUGH JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR TAKING SO LONG. Okay…now that that's out of the way, give Kaynahugs, well…a big hug because she gave me a huge kick in the ass and got me writing again. Thank you. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warning: **Oh meh, look at past chapters if you're really concerned.

xxx

**Chapter Ten**

It was silent, dark, and stuffy in the room I had been placed in, the bedsprings digging into my back. The bed did nothing to ease the pain in my body, but I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I was aware that I was panting, struggling to draw breath. I wanted to shift, but I was always jerked back into my human shape. It _hurt_.

I was angry. Kabuto had been spouting riddles since I had gotten here, and the only thing I could make out about why I was here was I was to become a demon's vessel. That they were going through all this trouble to 'test' me pissed me off. I almost wished they would get it over with, just be done with it. I was not giving up, mind you. I was sure Naruto would have yelled at me if he could hear my thoughts, and I groaned when I realized I was thinking about him again. My supposed mate. He would have yelled, kicked and snarled if he was in my place, but he wasn't here. I tensed my muscles, now angry with myself. _I was not giving up. _I repeated that until the door opened.

The light hurt, and I squinted against it until my eyes adjusted. There was a man I didn't recognize in the doorway, and there were several dark figures behind him. He entered slowly, his movements jerky as if he was hesitant to approach me. My lips twisted in a snarl, and I felt a touch of satisfaction that even in my condition, I could still intimidate. He flinched. The rest entered, picked me up, and carried me out and down the hallway. I knew this hallway well, having ventured down it with Kabuto once, twice…maybe three times a day, pausing to unlock a door and lock it behind them. I felt ridiculous, slung over a grown man's shoulder. My dead weight made going down the stairs difficult.

I was dumped nonchalantly into a chair, ankles and wrists strapped down. The bonds were loose but I didn't have the strength to shake them. Whatever drug they had been feeding me left me lucid and tired, and my arms and legs burned from the strenuous exercise I had been put through only hours ago. Was it hours? It was hard to tell with no windows, no clock.

I looked around. The men were gone…the faithful lackey bastards. Kabuto stood at a table, swirling dark red liquid around in a small jar. I couldn't bring myself to be frightened, but the man sitting beside the table sent a shiver down my spine. He was pale, a sickly pale with dark hair that hung lank and greasy around his face. He smelled – and I was surprised I hadn't noticed it before – of death and blood and something I couldn't even comprehend. The same stench as the demons who had hunted me, the same stench as in the hotel, but this was stronger…worse even. This was Orochimaru. This demon wanted my body. I gagged.

I hated to admit it, and I'll deny if asked, but the demon scared the shit out of me. His eyes never left mine, and in an attempt to be defiant until the end, I curled my lips back in a soundless snarl. A chuckle was my only response.

"No wolves to protect you anymore, Sasuke."

His voice was just as horrible as his smell. There was a slight hiss that made the 'S' in my name seem longer than it actually was, and I jerked back. _Naruto._

I frowned. In fact, I was surprised the idiot hadn't come to my rescue, though knowing him he was probably tearing apart the country looking for me. Hopefully he wasn't alone, that there were actually people with common sense directing his path. Hope was a very little thing now though and hoping wasn't going to get me out of here.

"It's your last day," Kabuto was saying. I didn't bother taking my eyes off Orochimaru. I didn't trust him enough to take my eyes off him. "No more demanding father or annoying brother, no more unwanted mate."

_He's not unwanted_. I pushed that thought aside. I didn't know how Kabuto knew that my father was slightly demanding or that my brother loved nothing else but to annoy the living shit out of me, though it didn't really surprise me that he did know. Orochimaru was bound to have had me followed before making a decision.

The jar was opened. It was demon's blood. Orochimaru. I knew because I could smell it; it smelled just like him but sweet. It didn't put my mind at ease. What were they planning on doing with it? Certainly, I wasn't expected to drink it. I was, my mind supplied me, and I was expected to drink it with a smile on my face. Like hell. I snarled again.

"Walker." His voice was hoarse. He was dying, wasn't he? That's why he needed me. "Kabuto, lets –" He stopped and titled his head, frowning. Kabuto had already been on his way towards me, but he too had stopped and turned towards the door. He curse and was gone, the jar of blood sitting innocently on the table. Orochimaru wasn't there either.

Maybe the gods weren't against me after all, I thought. There was somebody here, multiple people even, I hoped, and I found the strength to pull one wrist out of their bonds. My last dose had been a long time ago, but even then, it felt like my arms weighed a ton. I needed out, though. I needed out and I was going to take advantage of this distraction. If they were arrogant enough to live me unsupervised, their loss.

I smirked.

xxx

There were gunshots and yelling above my head, and I glared up at the ceiling. Could I make it up a level? My legs were shaking, and I was out of breath; I'd only just escaped the chair. I snorted at myself. _Dammit_. Move, Sasuke. _Move_.

So I moved. The door was still open from Kabuto and Orochimaru's sudden departure. The stairs were right there, hard concrete, steep with no railings. I had to bite my tongue to stop from grumbling. A voice rang out, "Don't waste bullets, boy! I gave you that gun to shoot the demon, not every little thing that moved!"

Gun? Demon? Were they that easy to kill that a gun could take them down? I would have figured it'd take more than that. If that was Naruto, why wasn't he changing?

The stairs were a struggle, of course. I slipped several times to bang my knees on the concrete, but I somehow found myself at the very top. The door was closed and locked but that was easily taken care of, thankfully. The click of the lock sent a jolt of relief through my body. _Pull yourself together, Uchiha. _I wanted to shift and run; I was quicker in that form and I wanted out so I could curl up under my bed. I growled and reached for the knob. _Weak_. I was acting weak. The door flew open and I fell with it, landing on my elbow. A sharp pain ran up my arm causing me to hiss. There was movement ahead of me. A voice that sounded disturbingly like Sakura's yelled my name.

When I looked up, it wasn't pink I saw however. It was blonde, and it smelled like the idiot. Despite myself, I grinned. "You took long enough."

There was a weak laugh and I was pulled into a tight embrace. I pushed against him, mumbling 'let go'. "Y-You! I could have shot you, I almost _did_ shoot you. I'm sorry, Sasuke." There was pink in my vision now, but I couldn't see Sakura properly because my faced was pressed into Naruto's shoulder. Gods. They were here. It should have been a climatic reunion, but I was so tired it all seemed _anti_-climatic. I didn't know if I wanted to yell at them for taking so long or kiss him.

I chose the former. "You're late," I grumbled.

I could imagine him grinning obnoxiously wide. "Not too late, though."

"Idiot." I remembered something. "Why guns? Why not change?"

"His wolf is out of control," Sakura replied, forcing Naruto to relinquish his grip on me so she could hug me. Naruto let go, if reluctantly.

"The demon would be dead, at least," Naruto huffed.

"If you say so, kid. Let's go, Naruto. Kabuto's dead but Orochimaru's still hiding."

I looked up. There were two werewolves I didn't know standing nearby. Older men, I noticed. Were they part of another pack? I also took sick pleasure in the fact that Kabuto was injured.

I was hauled to my feet. I managed to stay on my feet, though I swayed as my knees trembled and threatened to collapse underneath me. Naruto's grip on my arm tightened then disappeared. His arm went around my waist, pressing me against his side. His other hand held a pistol, fingers curled loosely around the grip.

"Any idea where to look?" Naruto asked, and he rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand. "I can't smell shit."

I couldn't either and apparently neither could the other two – if I remembered correctly, Kakashi Hatake was the one with half his face covered with cloth. Naruto had mentioned him, from the pack in Montana…wore a mask because of some scar on his eye. The other man was much older. He didn't seem familiar at all.

"C'mon Coyote Boy," Sakura squeezed my hand. I could already tell she was attempting to heal me. My skin tingled. "I think right…yes, he's down that hallway. Naruto…maybe…" She paused to look at me, and I narrowed my eyes in the meanest glare I could manage. It probably wasn't all that threatening. Damn.

"I'm going," I snapped before Naruto could agree.

With a sigh, she opened her mouth to protest. She didn't even have a chance to utter one syllable.

"We need to keep moving." It was Kakashi who interrupted, and Naruto let out a small growl in agreement.

"I'll watch him, Sakura."

xxx

**Author's Note:** Two more chapters after this, I think. I'm going to crawl away now.

If there are any typos and such kindly let me know! I make mistakes. Thank you!


End file.
